(CNN) - Painting herself as a "constitutional conservative" Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann told Sen. Jim DeMint's forum Monday that if elected president she would look to get rid of the Department of Education, among other things.

"Because the Constitution does not specifically enumerate nor does it give to the federal government the role and duty to superintend over education that historically has been held by the parents and by local communities and by state governments," she said, responding to a question by DeMint, a popular figure among the tea party movement.FULL POST

Conway, South Carolina (CNN) – Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have canceled his appearance before Sen. Jim DeMint's presidential forum Monday, but earlier at a town hall he didn't miss the opportunity to take a swipe at his primary opponents.

"There is no one gonna be sitting on that stage who has a record of job creation that I have," Perry said, referring to the Sept. 7 debate in California, the first time the nascent presidential candidate will participate in a debate with his opponents.FULL POST

(CNN) - President Barack Obama told a Labor Day crowd in Detroit that he's prepared to fight for a new job growth plan, defend organized labor and take steps to "restore the middle class in America," while five Republican candidates hoping to defeat him next year all called for repealing the major legislation passed so far in Obama's presidency.

The Republican presidential candidates participating in the Palmetto Freedom Forum in Columbia, South Carolina, which was televised on CNN, were unified in advocating the end of the health care reform law and the Wall Street reform measure passed by a Democratic-led Congress.

Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) - Sarah Palin spoke to a wildly supportive tea party audience in Manchester Monday, but although she seemed to present herself as the best candidate to win back the White House, she didn't give the voters what they wanted.

"Run, Sarah, run," the large crowd chanted as the former Alaska governor smiled. Some people screamed her name with an ardor usually reserved for pop stars.FULL POST

(CNN) – Sarah Palin has been delivering campaign-style speeches in recent days – still leaving open whether she will actually run for the Republican presidential nomination. For now, she seems to want the best of all worlds: she teases a presidential run while still maintaining her millions of dollars in income from her paid speeches, books, reality TV shows and Fox News. She no doubt also loves all the attention.

In her latest speech before the Tea Party Express in New Hampshire, she certainly hit all the major points the tea party movement wants to hear: smaller government, lower taxes, reduced federal regulations. But she spoke only in generalities without getting into any specifics as to how she would achieve those objectives. I heard a lot of politically popular clichés.

Washington (CNN) – With President Barack Obama en route to the same Detroit, Michigan event, Jim Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters, referred to congressional Republicans by saying, "let's take these sons of bitches out."

"Everybody here has a vote," Hoffa said Monday. "If we go back and we keep the eye on the prize. Let's take these sons of bitches out and give America back to America where we belong."FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Congress returns this week from its summer recess, and its agenda for the rest of the year can be summarized in one word - jobs.

Lawmakers in both parties are already promoting their own brands of fiscal recovery and job growth as the best way to lift the sagging economy. But the tension and distrust between Democrats and Republicans, built up during the debt ceiling debate over the summer, was evident again in the flap last week over scheduling President Barack Obama's jobs speech to Congress.

UPDATE: DeMint and event organizers told CNN Perry will be unable to participate in the event remotely.

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry is returning home to handle the growing threat of wildfires there, but his campaign says he is still trying to make arrangements to participate remotely in Sen. Jim DeMint's presidential forum in South Carolina.

"It is my understanding that he has tried to speak with Sen. DeMint and we are trying to make arrangements to do this from Austin," Katon Dawson, Perry's South Carolina campaign chairman, told CNN.FULL POST